


I Don't Want To Lose Myself Again (I Won't Let That Happen)

by EverestV



Category: Sense8 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, F/F, sensates don't exist in this AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 22:44:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9519215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverestV/pseuds/EverestV
Summary: urban magic AU: Amanita is a witch still struggling to realize her specialization, working in her mother’s magical tea shop in the meantime. Nomi is trans (obvs) and human; she thought she was done with identity issues but is actually a magically repressed dryad and might have to go through the whole “figuring out what I am” thing again





	

“You know how Miss Tiryaki likes to take her time with her appointments when it gets closer to a full moon. Can you blame her for being careful?” Amanita’s mother rifled through the shelves behind the front counter, speaking only once the patron in question had disappeared into the back room. “I heard she’s been working incredibly hard on her rock garden and it’d be such a shame if she ruined it over something as silly as lunar-induced headaches.”

Amanita whistled softly. “Jeez, didn’t realize they got  _ that _ bad.”

“They can.” Her mother turned and gave her a bright smile. “But they won’t. Just try not to practice pyro-spells too close to the dried herb section and you’ll be fine while I’m gone. I promise.”

“Alright, alright. I mean, it was  _ one _ time, but hey if you say I’ll be fine, then I guess I should trust you.” Her mother hovered a few inches off the ground to give her a kiss on the forehead and glided into the back room with a little wave. Amanita could hear a frustrated growl, “Oh,  _ Ay Dede _ is just being  _ merciless _ this month,” before the privacy charm was put into place and the tea shop was filled with only the sound of an indie fae band on the radio.

The shop was quiet for a good hour with only a kitsune and angel couple coming in to pick up an order; nothing she couldn’t handle. Otherwise, Amanita went over a few university course books  _ again _ , waiting for flickering text that wouldn’t come, and practiced organizing the shelves from across the room with swirling wrists, making jars and boxes float through the air into different places, and made various amounts of water condense into existence, dancing under the guidance of her wand.  _ Maybe I should be one of those witches who do watercolor paintings at parties...nah they don't make much— _

The front door bell rang as a tall, hesitant-looking girl walked in. The suspended water dropped with a splash, Amanita grinned at the lively, delicate aurora the girl presented, but the girl winced and jerked back into the doorway as if she couldn’t get wet.

“Oh, sorry, sorry! I’ll just...” Amanita flicked her wand at the puddle and it sparked into mist. “There you go. Anyway. Sorry. Welcome to Splendiferous Teas, what can I do for you?”

The girl approached the front counter slowly, eyeing the place where the puddle used to be. “I, um, I’m new to this whole magical tea shop thing, so not really sure what the protocol is here. Do I make an appointment for a consultation or do you just recommend something right now?”

Amanita stood up straighter at the girl’s business-like tone. “Well it kinda depends on how severe the problem is, how many symptoms you have, previous medical history, previous reactions with certain magical ingredients.” Amanita could’ve gone on, but the way the girl suddenly started fidgeting and glancing away, looking more and more like a cornered animal by the second, she stopped herself. “But how ‘bout we start on your species, nice and easy questions first.”

The girl’s eyes flicked up to meet Amanita’s, suddenly gleaming coldly, as her aura shifted from a timid green to a threatening gold. “I’m human.”

“Y-You...you’re human, huh?” Amanita tried really hard not to laugh or sound too incredulous. It took something of an effort. “Full-breed? You sure?”

“Yes, I  _ would _ be the one to know.”

Amanita tilted her head to the side, realizing the girl was serious and the girl was bristling. Her aurora turned a deeper shade of gold. “I don’t want to say I don’t believe you, of course you’d be the one to know who or what you are. That’s not something I’d ever consider arguing with. Still,” she leaned forward over the counter, watching the girl root her feet in response, “keeping things like this to yourself won’t help us help you feel better.”

The girl kept her gaze steady and level. Amanita could see her aura shift between golds and browns and reds and oranges before settling on a neutral, off-white that felt something like the girl was bracing herself.

She spoke as if going down a grocery list. “I’ve been waking up with stiff joints recently. It’s painful to bend my elbows and knees, or roll my neck, or double over at the waist. I’ve noticed it wears off throughout the day, but it’s been taking longer now before it gets better. Human pain pills haven’t helped at all. I’ve also felt really lethargic, uncharacteristically lethargic. And I don’t mean I just feel tired, I mean it’s physically difficult to move my body and my reaction time is incredibly slow now. At least in the mornings, like I said. And before you say anything, I know it’s not some human thing.  _ This _ isn’t normal for humans.” Unzipping her sweater and dropping it to the floor, the girl exposed her bare arms, exposed the crooked lines that followed veins, lines that looked like bark forming, like branches, running from the tops of her shoulders down to her wrists, covered in shiny, delicate leaves that looked like the most realistic tattoos Amanita had ever seen. But then the girl plucked one of the leaves from her wrist and set it on the counter, making Amanita watch as it shriveled and turned into dust while the empty space on her skin slowly replaced the loss with an identical leaf. “I’m human, alright? Born and raised. I’m just cursed or hexed or whatever and I’m asking for your help in fixing this. I’m...I’m running out of options.”

Amanita wanted to reach forward, take the girl’s hands in hers and hold on tight, thumb over the leaves like they were precious, beautiful things, make the girl sit down somewhere comfortable, convince her that she didn’t need to fight her own body, not about this, because this was what she was meant to be, had always meant to be.  _ A dryad. _ Amanita could feel it in earnest now, there was no mistaking it, but any words she could think of saying just shriveled on her tongue. The girl looked like one wind gust could topple her.

“Hey, um. How ‘bout we head into the back.” Amanita kept her voice soft and smooth, inching in the very slightest of persuasion spells into the air that separated them. With a flick of her wrist, she made the open sign turn over and the window shutters close. “We’ve got a really cozy tea room back there, all soft pillows and personalized aromas and privacy. We can talk more about some available treatments there. Sound okay, hun?” She walked around the counter, setting her apron down, running an undetectable softening spell over her clothes, and slowly put an arm around the girl’s shoulders, slow enough that the girl could move away if she wanted to. But she didn't. Electric-charged skin met downy-soft foliage and the two felt like a candle had been lit in their chests.

“O-Okay,” the girl’s voice was like fall-day whispers.

“My name is Amanita, by the way, and I’m gonna do everything I can to help make sense of all this, we’re gonna figure this out together. Everything’s gonna be alright, I promise.”

“Thank you, I...” The girl leaned into her embrace just slightly, like swaying comfortably, like being fluid and alive, like double-edged  _ growth _ . “I’m Nomi.”


End file.
